Bearders, RIP.

Good to hear on TMS that the players in today’s test are wearing black armbands as a mark of respect.

A little while ago, I linked on here to our JustGiving webpage. You see, Hels and I are going to walk 20km to raise money for the Parkinson’s Disease Society. That means we will be getting up very early, striding purposefully up Down and down Down, getting blisters, getting drenched, getting sunburn, getting achey and getting sore. But we are determined to do it because we think it is a very worthwhile cause.

We have exactly one month to go and we want to raise a lot more money yet. We’re only about one-third of the way to our modest target and really, truthfully, I’d like to reach double the target we have set. So, here’s how you can help:

1. Give money. How do you do that? Easy! Go to our JustGiving page. Now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Not after you’ve had a cuppa. I should say "please", but actually I feel a little like Bob Geldof, thumping my desk and shouting "give us the [expletive] money now!" - and, if you use the webpage and are a UK tax payer, the PDS gets the Gift Aid which adds quite a lot extra to your donation.
2. Link us up. You have a website? Good! Then link to www.justgiving.com/grahamandhels - and tell your readers that we are awfully nice people and that this is a very good cause.
3. Tell people. Know anyone who knows us? Tell them what we are doing and suggest that they give money. Or maybe they don’t know us - well, tell them anyway!
4. Send encouragement. We know what we are doing might be small but is certainly worthwhile and we’d like others to encourage us. And you know what the best form of encouragement is? More money for the PDS!

If you do help with any of these things, then please email me because I’m a nice chap and want to thank you. But, please do help us - without your help, our walk won’t be worth much at all.

Now, back to sending pestering emails to people!

Take a look at this. You’ll know what to do. And do it big!

Brighton stadium gets go-ahead. Although the idiots at Lewes DC could still put a spanner in the works.

Even so, I’m off to do a little happy-jig.

Kevin Howells on Sussex’s difficult start to the cricket season.

Brighton announce £2.2million trading loss. The pressure of being without a ground is really showing and surely the team can not continue in the long term with a strategy of survival-by-selling-the-family-silver (where family silver equates to the team’s best players).

Changes to Sussex cricket ground approved.

With all the problems that Brighton and Hove Albion have had in securing a decent home for their team and fans in recent years, you’d think that the authorities in Brighton would have learned that they need to give more support to their local sports teams.

But it seems that that is not the case. Sussex County Cricket Club, a championship-winning team that is very active in the community, is having problems seeking permission to redevelop its Hove ground. Only the circumstances this time are slightly different. In the case of the football team, an asset-stripping owner and management sold off the family silver and nearly consigned the club to oblivion, leaving them desperate to obtain consent for a new out-of-town venue. In the case of the cricket club, the management are clearly keen to stay at their historic home in the centre of Hove, convenient for locals and public transport and an important part of the community. And yet the council seems reluctant to support them in this.

Ultimately, I think it quite possible that the cricket club will leave Hove. There has been talk of them moving to Crawley, which would certainly put them closer to visiting fans from Surrey, north Kent and Middlesex, whilst still being handy for trains from Brighton and Hove. Sale of the site in Hove would raise an enormous sum (and lead to not just redevelopment of part of the ground, but the entire ground). A new stadium in Crawley would be good for the club, but there would be one big loser - the city of Brighton and Hove.

It is time for the authorities to realise this and support their local sport teams.

Not interested in football? Look away now.

Dick Knight furious over Benitez comments about reserve football. Brighton has long had a strong reserve team that has been an important proving ground for new players and a good place for seasoned players to gain experience or get match time when, for example, returning from injury. Brighton also has strong youth teams too and uses the entire structure to develop new talent, which is useful when the purse for buying-in talent is small (both in terms of saving money by "growing your own" and by earning money by selling players on). Maybe Rafa needs to come and spend some time with some of the smaller clubs and see what real-world sport is about, and perhaps remember Liverpool’s history of transferring talented players developed by lower teams (think Mark Lawrenson).

One in the eye for Lewes DC.

Two things.

• Today I planted a tree - a belated monument to Tom’s first birthday. It’s a Carpinus betulus Fastigiata, probably better known to you as a Columnar Hornbeam. It’ll be here long after we move away (whenever that may be) and will, I hope, add something to our part of Ruralville. Credit to our friend and neighbour Simon for helping to source some poo (of the well-rotten, bovine variety).
• I note that Brighton and Hove Albion players seem suddenly to have remembered that the purpose of the game of football is to direct the muddy sphere into your opponents’ goal whilst doing all that you can to prevent your opponents from directing the same muddy sphere into your own goal. Wonders will never cease.

Confused? You soon will be.

The senior players were canvassed for their opinion as to who should be the new captain. Clearly someone will now be disappointed - either the captain-designate or Adams himself, who might not get his old job back.

When was the last time that Brighton won by eight goals?

Not entirely surprising news, but certainly a loss to Sussex as he was instrumental in giving the team a focus and guiding the younger players. Any bets on the next captain?

Sussex win County Championship.

Mark McGhee sacked. Given Brighton’s recent form, I don’t think anyone can be surprised by this news.

Fred Trueman, RIP. Peerless.

Last night, we took Tom to his first ever cricket match, the Twenty20 fixture between Sussex and Hampshire at the gorgeously beautiful ground at Arundel. It looked like we (Sussex) were going to lose for most of our innings, but a late flurry of boundaries soon put paid to the opposition. Tom clearly is a lucky person to take along - maybe I should take him to a few Seagulls fixtures next season. He took the whole thing in his stride, as he tends to do, although he was a little alarmed by the shouts from the crowd and the loud music as Luke Wright and Yasir Arafat (insert joke about dishdash here) swiped umpteen boundaries in the last three overs to wrap it up.

One thing the BBC report doesn’t mention is the way in which Matt Prior was dismissed. Chris Adams was batting at the other end and was caught from a no-ball. He started to walk but then people in the crowd shouted that it was a no-ball. By this point, the Hampshire players were together celebrating and Matt Prior was still half way down the strip. Everyone looked to the umpire, who confirmed that the batsman was not out, at which point the Hampshire fielders realised that Prior was out of his crease and threw down the stumps. Prior briefly protested to the umpire (he clearly hadn’t realised that it was a no-ball) before walking. Is there a Law on how a no-ball should be called by the umpire? In any case, it was certainly pretty unsporting on the part of the Hampshire players.

We topped the night out with a cup of tea with the bikers at the Hikers café at Whiteways on the way home. Frankly, if ever you think that a bunch of bikers makes you feel threatened, you should go and see the bikers there - mostly middle-aged men (some women too), standing around drinking tea and discussing health issues and the correct daily fluid intake (presumably in the form of tea), as far as I could make out.

The Seagulls Party is formed to contest local elections and by-elections on a platform of supporting the new Brighton and Hove Albion stadium at Falmer. I don’t suppose that they will put a candidate up for Ruralville (we’re too far away), but if they do then they’ll get my vote.

Black arm-bands all round.

Seagulls beat Chelsea 2-1. I never thought I’d see that result!

(OK, so it was the FA Youth Cup. But it’s still a good result!).

Tony Banks, RIP.

I always admired him for being genuinely enthusiastic about sports and caring particularly for grass-roots sport, not just the big teams (even as a Chelsea supporter). You can’t help but think that he would have loved this weekend’s FA Cup matches (which were one in the eye for the Independent’s comment that there are no shocks any more) and must have really been looking forward to the Olympics in 2012. A sad loss for sport.

Yesss! Prezza approves Seagulls’ stadium plans. At last! The right decision, in my view - and no doubt influenced by the excellent campaigning by the club and fans.
Also: Seagulls build new nest.
And: Seagulls official homepage reaction. First match at the new ground in 2008.

A sports round-up (which you know means this post will only be about the important issues of Sussex County Cricket Club and Brighton and Hove Albion FC). Switch off now if this doesn’t interest you.
ECB bans James Kirtley from bowling after an investigation into his bowling action. Not the first time. See also:

• Kirtley’s uncertain future
• Kirtley case not unique, says Angus Fraser (so why has he been investigated twice now?)
• Banned Kirtley vows to clear name - as well he might, but it can’t do much for his spirit or morale.
• Sussex CCC official statement

In other, happier news, Brighton recorded their first away win of the season against the old enemy, Crystal Palace. A shame, then, that the event was marred by violence outside the stadium. I think that both teams should be working with the police to identify the trouble-makers and impose a lifetime ban on entry to either team’s matches.

The last match of the domestic season, and Sussex win the Division Two title in the League. Coupled with third place in Division One of the Championship, I think it could be classed as a good season for Sussex.

Seagulls sign Frutos.
Mmmmmm frutos.

Scotland have a pace bowler in their team named Yasir Arafat. I now have a mental picture of chap running in to bowl with a black and white dishdash fluttering behind him.

In other cricket news, I’m enjoying the current match between Middlesex and Sussex. I would imagine that Middlesex supporters are enjoying it rather less.

Without doubt a great loss to the club, but needs must when the coffers are empty.

I’ve just heard that London has won the Olympic bidding process - and how did I hear? Not from the BBC - their server has given up the ghost. Not from Ananova or Reuters, who haven’t updated their pages with the news. I heard from LinkBunnies - officially first with the news.
Anyway, well done to the London bid team. I’m not sure if it is all a good thing or a bad thing - it’s probably good. I also think that I’ll start planning to be abroad whilst it is taking place.

EDIT: This Isn’t London comes out of hibernation to list the major new infrastructure projects the announcement brings forward:

How handy.

Brighton 1 - Ipswich 1. Brighton live to fight another season of Championship football. Hurrah!

Brighton stadium plans are a factor in the election in the region. Of course, given Brighton’s recent form, the Withdean might well be big enough for a Conference side. Gah.

Read this - don’t you think it smacks of "wish we’d thought of that"?

It’s A Goal 2 ready by the end of March. Productivity? What productivity?

Pah! A further example of the wrong message sent out by football! Online football top trumps where a player with a higher number of yellow cards beats a player that has received fewer yellow cards. Shocking!

Apparently, football shown on TV corrupts the behaviour of children that view it. I don’t find this at all implausible, given the way that young kids love to copy their heroes, and having watched my nephew idolise Wayne Rooney, a figure who must be one of the least suitable role models for any eight year old.
What did astonish me, however, was hearing a representative of the Professional Footballers’ Association, speaking on Radio 4’s PM programme this evening, having the temerity to suggest that the problem was not the foul language and poor behaviour of the footballers, but the fact that the TV cameras get them on close-up. What?? Surely, if players moderated their language and behaviour, there would be nothing to be captured by the cameras and this whole thing would not be an issue.
It is time that the football authorities took a tougher line on this. Rugby and cricket woke up to this a while ago, with suitable punsihments now imposed upon players that bring the game into disrepute through their behaviour. Football has already been working to eliminate racism - it is time it dealt with some of its other failings too.

David Sheppard, Sussex cricketer and Bishop of Liverpool, has died.

• US raps Russia and Saudi Arabia over the knuckles on human rights. One in the eye for Chomsky? I guess only if the Americans really mean what they say.
• Entire Lebanese government resigns after protests. Somehow I can’t imagine HMG resigning if ever there were massive protests in the UK. Oh. Yeh. There have been massive protests. Hmm.
• Virgin GlobalFlyer set for take off. Rather him than me.
• Clarke retreats on house arrest in a half-hearted way, whilst thumbing nose to Parliament. As is often the case, I agreed with what the other Clarke had to say (I mean Ken, of course - as quoted on Channel 4 News).
• McGhee wants Brighton to finish with 50 or 51 points - 6 or 7 points from 11 matches. Not an impossible task, particularly with matches against Coventry and Rotherham still to be played - but I have to say that I’m not too keen on some of the other fixtures between now and the end of the season.

I’ve long believed that the Telegraph has the best sports coverage of the daily newspapers in this country, but I think that the Indy is fast improving. I particularly enjoy the Inside Football columns, as they invariably deal with issues at the sharp end of competitive football, and not the glamour of the Premiership. See today’s article on Brentford.
Also worth reading: Adrian Chiles’s column, even if there is a West Brom bias.
There is also a good article by Will Self on Ellen MacArthur, but it is part of the Indy’s paid-for content. Go find it if you’ve already paid up (I haven’t).

• Army discipline pilot for using helicopter to deliver pizza to girlfriend - I particularly like the nameless BBC wag who has added the line "The Ministry of Defence spokesman did not confirm what toppings were on the pizza".
• Britain welcomes home Dame Ellen. A fantastic achievement, undoubtedly. But is the government hoping to achieve some mileage and share in the glory by announcing the honour so quickly?
• Tooth brushing cuts the risk of heart disease according to new research. Or, on the other hand, poor dental care is an indicator of people who generally do not look after their own health, and these people are more vulnerable to heart disease.
• Observations of evolving planetary system made using Spitzer orbiting telescope, news coming on the same day that we learn that NASA plans to bring down Hubble. So much science to be done, yet no money to keep the tools of research available.
• McGhee keen for Seagulls to focus - too right, and with a goal difference of -13, they need a few wins to be really sure of staying up.

The CD has arrived. Truly awful. But worth it. I think.

In the test match between England and South Africa that started today in Johannesburg, a no-ball was awarded against South Africa because they were fielding three men behind square on the leg side.
Who knew?

McGhee says he wants to stay at Brighton, but there seem to be some caveats to that desire.

• Grauniad
• BBC
• Malaysia Star

Seagulls Ska makes the Top Twenty, outselling Parallax View favourites Interpol.
Shame we couldn’t hold on for a draw against Spurs yesterday, but we certainly gave them a run for their money.

BBC News - Seagulls fans (i.e. Attila the Stockbroker) release single in support of stadium campaign. And it looks like it’ll be in the top ten singles this week.
Whatever your footballing persuasion, buy it now and show support for the stadium campaign. Remember - it could be your club next.

Read the report following today’s goalless draw with QPR, and you’ll get the impression that Brighton will be managerless again just as soon as a better offer comes along.

At this rate, Brighton won’t have enough players left to field a full team!

Aggers says the England tour to Zimbabwe must be called off. Sport and politics, chalk and cheese, oil and water.

West Ham 0 - 1 Brighton. Mark McGhee:

Hmm. It seems I may have to eat my words.
And I promise not to rub anyone’s nose in it.

UPDATE: Claridge seeks long-term deal at Brighton.

Blimey, things are getting desperate. Frankly, I expect Mark McGhee to be on the phone any day now, offering me a rôle in midfield.

I’m not talking about football at the moment.
Anyone want to open a book on when Mark McGhee will leave for greener pastures?

A few current and recent news stories:

• At the wrong speed - John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, RIP. Peely once played a request for me on his Radio 1 show. Others have paid sufficient tribute to the greatest champion of original new music in the UK - I merely suggest that you put Teenage Kicks on your stereo on repeat for a few hours. He’ll be sorely missed.
• Money woes failed Beagle 2 - "The DTI [Department of Trade and Industry] should have been on the pitch getting involved, rather than cheering from the touchline and coming on as a second half substitute when things went wrong."
• Lord Hanson, RIP - "A company from here doing rather well over there."
• EU leaders sign constitutional treaty at last.
• Kilroy-Silk withdraws from UKIP whip in EU Parliament. Plank.
• US Presidential election today - if you have a vote, use it.
• China’s next manned probe will orbit for five days. Ground Control to Major Yuan Hung-Lo?
• Titan geologically "alive".

Currently occupying 110% of my concentration:

• the Formula 1 calendar - it impacts significantly on planning of my Garden Event at West Dean, as we must avoid a clash with the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the date of which is dependant on the Formula 1 calendar (wot no British GP???).
• trying to establish exactly how well my clients are doing with certain plant material I have supplied them with, and whether I need to arrange a trans-Atlantic cross-supply.
• dealing with some politics that some potential clients have arising from some legacy representation arrangements (though to have my main competitor described as "yesterday" is a nice boost).
• trying to help along another client who seems to have been messed about by his clients (who also happen to be my clients).
• sorting out a list of trial material required from my breeder clients to get things moving with my grower clients - upon which rests the future earnings of PFE.
• fixing up paperwork on all the house sales and purchases - too late to save Hels’s sale, but paving the way for a quick and smooth new sale as soon as we find a new buyer, as well as salvaging the purchase, which has become an all-consuming passion for me.
• oh yeh, the wedding.

Bugger this, I’m off for a pint.

If you can get to this, then please go.

Brighton may need money, but Brighton does not need Bill Archer’s money. Top marks to Dick Knight.

Brian Clough, 1935-2004, and manager of Brighton and Hove Albion for a few months in 1974.

…why I haven’t written here about Brighton and Hove Albion in recent weeks, I think that getting one point from four games is fairly disastrous, and probably not the cause for any optimism. The team clearly needs to do something different to get some more positive results, and whilst I’m not yet calling for the manager’s scalp and still firmly believe that Mark McGhee is a good manager, I do think he needs to be a little less optimistic and a touch more realistic.

I think Brighton have a better-than-average chance of staying in Division 1 (or whatever it is called these days) this season, although yesterday’s match was not the best start we could have wished for. But, in spite of that, I think Brighton’s performance bodes well for the rest of the season.

Brighton stadium blow.
I’m not quite sure why Prescott has referred this back to the inquiry. The evidence in support of the Falmer site when compared with the other possible sites is fairly clear.
Either way, this is a massive financial blow to Brighton. I’m not really sure how the club will survive for long whilst having to pay for the planning process for the new ground with the continuing limitation on income that is the Withdean’s restricted capacity. At least the team were promoted, so TV revenue will be higher this year, but I think it will be a major struggle to stay up as there is hardly any cash for new players. Sigh.

Not much to write about at the moment. Work is still the dominant feature in life.

• Drove 375 miles yesterday to deliver some plants to Cambridgeshire. Driving a Transit Luton in a strong wind is never much fun.
• Took Hels’s car for its MOT test today. It failed. I’ve been and purchased the parts required to make it pass, and Tim is kindly fitting them. However, he’s already hit a problem, though hopefully it can be remedied quickly.
• I’m currently printing all the inserts for the wedding invitations (where to stay, how to find it, etc.). We should get them in the post next week.
• I’m working my way through a huge backlog of work emails that I’ve filed but not yet replied to or dealt with. PFE has reached a stage where an admin assistant would be useful, but the money is not available to pay for it. So it looks increasingly like I’ll be working longer hours to try and get everything done. Still, at least I remain in total control of everything, and I guess that is a positive.
• And, whilst losing the football last night is a disappointment, I can see absolutely no justification for this idiotic behaviour.

From the Beeb:

As an aside, have you ever looked at the awful code used on one of these BBC pages. Standards? Hello?

I wasn’t going to comment on the Euro 2004 thingummy, although I was intensely amused by the Italians being knocked out as a result of a 2-2 draw between Denmark and Sweden - the pictures of the Swedes idly kicking the ball back and forth waiting for the whistle to blow for full time must have resulted in some extreme swearing from Italian fans back home.
What I couldn’t fathom, though, was the Beeb’s pundit’s comment that 2-2 is an "unusual score". Any idea where I could find stats on this to prove him wrong?

Bearders, MBE.

Why on Earth is the Football League rebranding the divisions? What was, only a few years ago, known as Division 4 will, from next season, be League 2. Utter nonsense. Those of us who support teams in the League rather than the Premiership have no illusions about the status of football played there - it’s generally of a very high quality, featuring spirited and determined teams that are not beset by primadonnas and hordes of overseas players. It does not need tarting up to make it out to be something that it isn’t.

So, that means that next season, Brighton will be playing Leeds. I wonder what the Elland Road fans will make of the Withdean?
It also means that Brighton will play against Bobby Zamora at the Hammers, assuming that he doesn’t transfer to another team. I’m sure that at least one other blogger will be "delighted" about that.

Seeeeeaaagulls!

Very good luck to Brighton and Hove Albion in the play-off against Bristol City at the Millennium Stadium tomorrow afternoon. It has to be said that the Seagulls are very much the underdogs, and we’ve only got this far by virtue of a good deal of luck. That luck will have to hold, as City inflicted one of the biggest defeats of the season on us earlier in the season. But Brighton are a strong team defensively, and if they can hold their nerve, might just scrape a win. I don’t think it’ll be by more than a single goal, and I honestly don’t think it’s the most likely outcome. But I’ve been wrong before.
I won’t be watching the match. I’ll be hiding behind the sofa.

I haven’t said much about Brighton’s place in the Division Two play-offs. This evening, the hope of a quick return to Division One was finally laid to rest.
Without a new stadium, there is no hope of Brighton ever succeeding in Division One. The lack of capacity and facilities is also a handicap to success in the lower divisions. As it is, I now fear that the best players from the team will be cherry-picked for life in Division One, sold to help finance the on-going planning battles, leaving a team impoverished in both financial and sporting terms. I’m not optimistic for the future.
…which all goes to prove that it isn’t over until the fat lady sings. I need to go and lie down now.
BBC match report here.

Brighton away to Swindon tomorrow in the first leg of the Division 2 promotion play-off semi-finals. Anything could happen, but most pundits seem to think that Brighton are the outsiders in this competition. I certainly wouldn’t rate our chances if we had to face Bristol City in a play-off final.

Well, it’s the first day of the new county cricket season today, and Sussex kick off at The Oval against Surrey. I’m not entirely confident that Sussex are good enough to retain the title, and would probably put my money on Lancashire. And Sussex’s one-day form is absolutely abysmal - to win the county championship and yet come last in the one-day competition in the same season must be some sort of record.
Either way, I agree with Chris Adams’s assertion on the news this morning that the domestic game is certainly alive and kicking and giving some good and entertaining cricket - a fact reflected in attendances at Hove which have been steadily increasing for some time.